Faith, Family, Love and Reviews

The Knight is the third in the Patrick Bowers Thriller series written by Steven James and published by Revell a division of Baker Publishing Group. I hadn’t heard of Steven James before and must say it’s disappointing that I haven’t had the pleasure of reading his books before.

The Knight is a thriller and one that will keep you up at night, reading. If you like thrillers without all the cussing and lewd actions of the characters this is the book for you. There are detailed descriptions of the crime scenes that FBI agent Patrick Bowers investigates. As the criminal is tracked the reader can feel the thrill of the chase and the climaxing of the story.

We are drawn into Patrick’s life as he struggles with raising his stepdaughter, Tess as well as having a dangerous career and having to protect her. I could feel his struggle as he tried to decided whether to continue with his job or staying home with Tess as she finds something out that makes her reevaluate everything she thought she knew to be true. The reader feels the anguish that Tess goes through and I got the feeling of wanting to reach through the book to comfort this girl.

It’s been awhile since I have read this type of book in the thriller genre, but I am glad that I took advantage of participating in this tour because this book was well written with well developed characters. I even felt as if I knew the criminals in this book – but beware of the surprising and twisting end – and could somehow figure out how they ‘ticked’. If you like thriller’s and are looking for a Christian alternative to the usual cursing and lewd filled secular thriller’s this will definitely fit the bill!

Available August 2009 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.

Like this:

I was given an advance reading copy of Held Hostage by Ken Cooper and published by Chosen. This book is due for release in August 2009 and I would suggest this book be reading if you have a heart for prisoners or just to minister to the least of these like Christ told us to do and showed up from His life.

Held Hostage is about Ken Cooper’s double life, one of family man and the other a ‘gentleman bank robber’. It starts out with the robbery and backracks through getting married, having a child, robbing banks and up through his time spent in jail and prisons. He held a job as a publicity director for a Christian college all the while robbing banks, taking a hostage and then letting them go – unharmed.

There were moments in the book that had lots of shock value, Mr. Cooper does not gloss over prison life to spare the reader. I was appalled at the behavior described because surely while I am not as naiive to think that some of this stuff doesn’t go on but surely the gaurds would stop it. Not so. I cannot imagine men living like animals, and don’t forget their are plenty of women in prisons too who I am sure are not immune to this sort of behavior. After many years of his mother praying, he finally gives his life to God.

The changes that occur in him are testimonial to God’s great works. I am not saying that he is perfect, none of us are perfect, no not one but his life changes for the better and he is free even in prison. This book is one that will make Believer’s see Christ’s life changing power at work and will make a non-believer rethink what they thought they knew – or at least I pray it will. Truly this is a book that doesn’t come along often and should be a must read especially those who want to know how to help those in prisons – including the appalling parts, they too must be read so that the rest of Mr. Coopers transformation in Christ to be understood.